Touchstone Blog Archive
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Zero Gravity Crushes in Reno
The Touchstone Zero Gravity Climbing Team once again showed it's dominance at the USA Climbing, Bouldering Regional Championships. The competition was held at the Rocksport gym in Reno, NV on December 10th, 2011. In addition to winning the Team award for the sixth straight year, Joshua Levin, Cicada Jenerik, Matt Grossman, Natalia Grossman and Mirko Caballero were Regional Champions; Dylan Meyerhoffer, Courtney Ceran, Jacquelyn Wu, and Rick Gentry were Silver Medalist; Revan Florn, Seth Rogers, Hannah Grossman and Nathan Frankel were Bronze Medalists. Over all, the team won half of the ten categories, one third of the podiums and received 23 bids to the Division 1 Championships which will be held in Seattle, Washington on January 14th and 15th, 2012. The Divisional Championships will determine the invitations for the National Championships which will be held in Colorado Springs at the US Olympic Training facility. The Adult Bouldering Nationals will be February 24th and 25th and the Youth Nationals will be March 3rd and 4th.
Zero Gravity is coached by Scot Jenerik, Scott Cory and Cicada Jenerik with additional mentoring by Joshua Levin.
For more results from the comp check out the comp page. Congratulations to the Zero Gravity team.
Labels: Joshua Levin, Scot Jenerik, Zero Gravity
¶ Wednesday, December 28, 2011 0 Comments
Monday, September 12, 2011
Zero Gravity: Interview with Coach Scot Jenerik
On August 25-28, Scot Jenerik and four of the Touchstone Zero Gravity Climbing Team members competed at the Youth World Championships in Imst, Austria. This competition was attended by over 600 athletes from 50 countries and had quite possibly the deepest pool of youth climbing talent at a world championship to date. The Touchstone athletes had a strong showing. Joshua Levin was 19th in Sport and 10th in Speed. Jacquelyn Wu was 44th in Sport and 9th in Speed. Nicholas Bradley was 46th in Sport. Will Roderick was 20th in Speed.
Nicholas Bradley, Scot Jenerik (US Team Coach), Jacquelyn Wu, Will
Roderick, Joshua Levin in Imst Austria
Zero Gravity is one of the strongest youth climbing teams in the nation. Zero Gravity were 2nd in the country for Teams at the 2011 and 2009 USA Climbing SCS National Championships and 3rd in the country at the 2008 ABS National Championships and the team has been consistently in the top 5 at Nationals for 8 years. Team members have been regional Champions the past 6 years for both Sport and Bouldering with over 40 National Champions and close to 100 US National Team Bids. A large part of this is due to the solid coaching they receive.
Zero Gravity at the 2011 Youth Nationals
Scot Jenerik, the 47 year old US National Team Head Coach and Touchstone Zero Gravity Head Coach, has spent the past two decades living in San Francisco and the past 11 years coaching Zero Gravity.
When Jenerik’s daughter Cicada was 4, he hauled her up climbs in Joshua Tree and throughout the Sierra. As she got older, her talent became noticeable and Jenerik took her to a JCCA competition at Touchstone’s Class 5 in San Rafael. She performed well and told her farther, “That was the best day of my life.” At that point, Zero Gravity was born. “I had been an athlete my whole life, playing many different sports and running track in college,” said Jenerik. “My father was often my coach and given my passion for understanding the dynamics of training, I adapted all that I knew and researched what I didn't to create the program that now exists.”
“Coaching, like climbing, is dynamic. It's not just about making someone physically strong, it is more about psychology and how to get the best out of an athlete. This relates to all aspects of their training and performance,” said Jenerik about coaching Zero Gravity. “Also every athlete has a slightly different set of strengths and weaknesses. Identifying these and reinforcing the weaknesses is a satisfying challenge. When I first started there was very little information available about effective training for climbing and none whatsoever about training youth. The body of a youth athlete can not be put through the same degree of stress as an adult. Developing appropriate physical and psychological coaching techniques is a never ending challenge. Additional challenges are balancing their passion for climbing with school and family needs.”
Before coaching and working as the foreman for the route setting at Mission Cliffs, Jenerik traveled the world playing hand built percussion instruments that blasted large fireballs.
Jenerik discussed training and applications to anyone. “The most important aspect is how hard you try. Excellence is not something that just happens, it is practiced every day. If you practice quitting every day you should expect nothing other than failure. Be consistent in your training and understand that it will take time. Erratic training will do virtually nothing for you. As an example, imagine that you want to run up a hill with 100# on your back. If you strap that weight to your back and go for it you will collapse. But if you add 1# every day, running up the hill each day for 100 days you will transform your body into being able to carry that load. Also identify the things you don't like to do as these tend to be ones weaknesses. We all like to do what we are good at. But if you can strengthen the things you aren't good at your overall ability will rise."
Zero Gravity trains 3 hours 4-5 days a week and each athlete has a detailed program that is specific to their goals and ability. Fun and satisfaction occur when one’s ability coincides with the complexity of the challenge. Monday through Thursday, the team meets at Ironworks, Mission Cliffs and Diablo Rock. Jenerik is at each of the gyms on a different day and Scott Cory, Cicada Jenerik and Joshua Levin, his assistant coaches, are at the other gyms.
The competition season runs from September to February for Bouldering and March to August for Sport and Speed. For more information about USA Climbing and the clickThe International Federation of Sport Climbing click on the links. Climbing is also on the short list for the 2020 Olympics
For more information about the team, contact Scot at jenerik@zerogravityclimbing.com
Nicholas Bradley, Scot Jenerik (US Team Coach), Jacquelyn Wu, Will
Roderick, Joshua Levin in Imst Austria
Zero Gravity is one of the strongest youth climbing teams in the nation. Zero Gravity were 2nd in the country for Teams at the 2011 and 2009 USA Climbing SCS National Championships and 3rd in the country at the 2008 ABS National Championships and the team has been consistently in the top 5 at Nationals for 8 years. Team members have been regional Champions the past 6 years for both Sport and Bouldering with over 40 National Champions and close to 100 US National Team Bids. A large part of this is due to the solid coaching they receive.
Zero Gravity at the 2011 Youth Nationals
Scot Jenerik, the 47 year old US National Team Head Coach and Touchstone Zero Gravity Head Coach, has spent the past two decades living in San Francisco and the past 11 years coaching Zero Gravity.
When Jenerik’s daughter Cicada was 4, he hauled her up climbs in Joshua Tree and throughout the Sierra. As she got older, her talent became noticeable and Jenerik took her to a JCCA competition at Touchstone’s Class 5 in San Rafael. She performed well and told her farther, “That was the best day of my life.” At that point, Zero Gravity was born. “I had been an athlete my whole life, playing many different sports and running track in college,” said Jenerik. “My father was often my coach and given my passion for understanding the dynamics of training, I adapted all that I knew and researched what I didn't to create the program that now exists.”
“Coaching, like climbing, is dynamic. It's not just about making someone physically strong, it is more about psychology and how to get the best out of an athlete. This relates to all aspects of their training and performance,” said Jenerik about coaching Zero Gravity. “Also every athlete has a slightly different set of strengths and weaknesses. Identifying these and reinforcing the weaknesses is a satisfying challenge. When I first started there was very little information available about effective training for climbing and none whatsoever about training youth. The body of a youth athlete can not be put through the same degree of stress as an adult. Developing appropriate physical and psychological coaching techniques is a never ending challenge. Additional challenges are balancing their passion for climbing with school and family needs.”
Before coaching and working as the foreman for the route setting at Mission Cliffs, Jenerik traveled the world playing hand built percussion instruments that blasted large fireballs.
Jenerik discussed training and applications to anyone. “The most important aspect is how hard you try. Excellence is not something that just happens, it is practiced every day. If you practice quitting every day you should expect nothing other than failure. Be consistent in your training and understand that it will take time. Erratic training will do virtually nothing for you. As an example, imagine that you want to run up a hill with 100# on your back. If you strap that weight to your back and go for it you will collapse. But if you add 1# every day, running up the hill each day for 100 days you will transform your body into being able to carry that load. Also identify the things you don't like to do as these tend to be ones weaknesses. We all like to do what we are good at. But if you can strengthen the things you aren't good at your overall ability will rise."
Zero Gravity trains 3 hours 4-5 days a week and each athlete has a detailed program that is specific to their goals and ability. Fun and satisfaction occur when one’s ability coincides with the complexity of the challenge. Monday through Thursday, the team meets at Ironworks, Mission Cliffs and Diablo Rock. Jenerik is at each of the gyms on a different day and Scott Cory, Cicada Jenerik and Joshua Levin, his assistant coaches, are at the other gyms.
The competition season runs from September to February for Bouldering and March to August for Sport and Speed. For more information about USA Climbing and the clickThe International Federation of Sport Climbing click on the links. Climbing is also on the short list for the 2020 Olympics
For more information about the team, contact Scot at jenerik@zerogravityclimbing.com
Labels: Scot Jenerik, Zero Gravity
¶ Monday, September 12, 2011 0 Comments
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Zero Gravity Takes on Nor Cal Regional Championships
The Touchstone Zero Gravity Climbing Team, the youth climbing team, headed to the Northern California USAC-SCS Regional Champions, where they crushed for the sixth consecutive year. On May 14, 2011 the Nor Cal Regional Championships were held at Rocksport in Reno, NV.
Mel Roderik
"It was one of the best performances by the team in my 10 years of coaching," said head coach Scot Jenerik, "because of how focused and how hard everyone tried. They were total pros."
Nick Bradley
The entire team qualified for the Division 1 Championships which will be held at Momentum in Sandy, UT on June 11 & 12, 2011. In addition they had 11 Regional Champions and 28 podium places. At the Div1 Championships these athletes will be vying for a bid to the National Championships in Atlanta, GA in July. There they will be working toward a place on the US National team and a trip to the Youth World Championships in Imst, Austria in August.
Hannah Donnely
Congratulations to Regional Champions:
Sera Busse (Sport and Speed)
Natalia Grossman (Sport and Speed)
Joshua Levin (Sport and Speed)
Eric Sanchez (Sport)
Will Roderick (Speed)
Connor Everton (Sport)
Nick Bradley (Speed)
Cameron Reed (Speed)
The Team
Touchstone Zero Gravity Climbing Team placing:
Sport/Speed
Sera Busse Youth-B Female 1 1
Natalia Grossman Youth-D Female 1 1
Eric Sanchez Junior Male 1 3
Joshua Levin Youth-A Male 1 1
Connor Everton Youth-B Male 1 3
Will Roderick Junior Male 2 1
Nick Bradley Youth-B Male 2 1
Cameron Read Youth-C Male 2 1
Seth Rogers Youth-D Male 2 2
Katrin Gentry Youth-B Female 3 3
Revan Florn Youth-D Female 3 3
Rick Gentry Youth-A Male 3 2
Dylan Meyerhoffer Youth-D Male 3 3
Alexa Nazarian Youth-A Female 4 4
Hannah Donnelly Youth-B Female 4
Haniel Roland-Holst Youth-A Male 4 5
Michael Cohen Youth-A Male 5 3
Mel Roderick Youth-B Male 5 4
Jacquelyn Wu Youth-B Female 6 2
Sam Steuart Youth-A Male 6 4
Gabii Strandberg Youth-B Female 7
Ethan Rogers Youth-D Male 7 6
Andrew Dixson Youth-A Male 8 7
Michael Humphrey Youth-B Male 9 5
Scot Jenerik heads the team with help from Scot Cory, the assistant coach. For more information about Zero Gravity check out their website.
Mel Roderik
"It was one of the best performances by the team in my 10 years of coaching," said head coach Scot Jenerik, "because of how focused and how hard everyone tried. They were total pros."
Nick Bradley
The entire team qualified for the Division 1 Championships which will be held at Momentum in Sandy, UT on June 11 & 12, 2011. In addition they had 11 Regional Champions and 28 podium places. At the Div1 Championships these athletes will be vying for a bid to the National Championships in Atlanta, GA in July. There they will be working toward a place on the US National team and a trip to the Youth World Championships in Imst, Austria in August.
Hannah Donnely
Congratulations to Regional Champions:
Sera Busse (Sport and Speed)
Natalia Grossman (Sport and Speed)
Joshua Levin (Sport and Speed)
Eric Sanchez (Sport)
Will Roderick (Speed)
Connor Everton (Sport)
Nick Bradley (Speed)
Cameron Reed (Speed)
The Team
Touchstone Zero Gravity Climbing Team placing:
Sport/Speed
Sera Busse Youth-B Female 1 1
Natalia Grossman Youth-D Female 1 1
Eric Sanchez Junior Male 1 3
Joshua Levin Youth-A Male 1 1
Connor Everton Youth-B Male 1 3
Will Roderick Junior Male 2 1
Nick Bradley Youth-B Male 2 1
Cameron Read Youth-C Male 2 1
Seth Rogers Youth-D Male 2 2
Katrin Gentry Youth-B Female 3 3
Revan Florn Youth-D Female 3 3
Rick Gentry Youth-A Male 3 2
Dylan Meyerhoffer Youth-D Male 3 3
Alexa Nazarian Youth-A Female 4 4
Hannah Donnelly Youth-B Female 4
Haniel Roland-Holst Youth-A Male 4 5
Michael Cohen Youth-A Male 5 3
Mel Roderick Youth-B Male 5 4
Jacquelyn Wu Youth-B Female 6 2
Sam Steuart Youth-A Male 6 4
Gabii Strandberg Youth-B Female 7
Ethan Rogers Youth-D Male 7 6
Andrew Dixson Youth-A Male 8 7
Michael Humphrey Youth-B Male 9 5
Scot Jenerik heads the team with help from Scot Cory, the assistant coach. For more information about Zero Gravity check out their website.
Labels: Scot Jenerik, Scott Cory, Zero Gravity
¶ Wednesday, May 18, 2011 0 Comments
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Zero Gravity at the ABS Nationals
The USA Climbing American Bouldering Series (ABS) Youth National Championships 2011 were held in Boulder, Colorado, from February 18 - 20, 2011
The Zero Gravity Team
The Touchstone Zero Gravity Climbing Team took six of their strongest competitors to the ABS National Championships over the weekend of February 18-20 and had an exceptional showing. Joshua Levin placed 3rd, Eric Sanchez was 4th and Jacquelyn Wu was 5th, all three qualifying for the US National Team. Charlie Andrews also made finals and finished 7th. Sera Busse was 2nd in qualifiers but ended up 10th overall. Will Roderick was 4th in qualifiers but dropped to 16th after semi finals.
Eric Sanchez
This years competition saw the strongest, deepest field in ABS history. In addition the venue was a large warehouse with three amazing climbing walls, lighting arrays, PA systems and tons of space for spectators. The USAC set up the venue for the Adult National Championships which were held a week earlier. Video of this event can
be found HERE
Charlie Andrews
Full results from both the Youth and Adult comps can be found at the ABS site.
Josh Levin
The Touchstone Zero Gravity Climbing Team will now be focusing on the USA Climbing Sport Climbing Series (SCS). The season starts March 19th with Local comps, moves on to the the Northern California Regional Championships May 14th, the Division 1 Championships in Salt Lake City June 11-12, the National Championships in Atlanta Georgia July 7-10 and the Youth World Championships in Imst Austria August 25-28. This years Touchstone Zero Gravity team is one of the strongest ever and have a very good shot at winning the Team
Championship award at the National Championships. Once again, many of these Touchstone youth are favorites to be selected for the US National Team.
Jacquelyn Wu
If you would like more information or to try out for Touchstone Zero Gravity, please contact Coach Scot Jenerik: sjenerik@gmail.com
Will Roderick
The Zero Gravity Team
The Touchstone Zero Gravity Climbing Team took six of their strongest competitors to the ABS National Championships over the weekend of February 18-20 and had an exceptional showing. Joshua Levin placed 3rd, Eric Sanchez was 4th and Jacquelyn Wu was 5th, all three qualifying for the US National Team. Charlie Andrews also made finals and finished 7th. Sera Busse was 2nd in qualifiers but ended up 10th overall. Will Roderick was 4th in qualifiers but dropped to 16th after semi finals.
Eric Sanchez
This years competition saw the strongest, deepest field in ABS history. In addition the venue was a large warehouse with three amazing climbing walls, lighting arrays, PA systems and tons of space for spectators. The USAC set up the venue for the Adult National Championships which were held a week earlier. Video of this event can
be found HERE
Charlie Andrews
Full results from both the Youth and Adult comps can be found at the ABS site.
Josh Levin
The Touchstone Zero Gravity Climbing Team will now be focusing on the USA Climbing Sport Climbing Series (SCS). The season starts March 19th with Local comps, moves on to the the Northern California Regional Championships May 14th, the Division 1 Championships in Salt Lake City June 11-12, the National Championships in Atlanta Georgia July 7-10 and the Youth World Championships in Imst Austria August 25-28. This years Touchstone Zero Gravity team is one of the strongest ever and have a very good shot at winning the Team
Championship award at the National Championships. Once again, many of these Touchstone youth are favorites to be selected for the US National Team.
Jacquelyn Wu
If you would like more information or to try out for Touchstone Zero Gravity, please contact Coach Scot Jenerik: sjenerik@gmail.com
Will Roderick
Labels: Eric Sanchez, Scot Jenerik, Zero Gravity
¶ Wednesday, February 23, 2011 3 Comments
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Zero Gravity Team Crushes
On May 15th, Touchstone Zero Gravity won the USA Climbing Northern California Regional Championship for the fifth straight year! The Youth team, coached by Scot Jenerik, managed to pull another outstanding performance. Using the Touchstone facilities as a training ground, the team had a number of great accomplishments at the competition.
Big congratulations to Touchstone Zero Gravity Regional Champions in Sport: Eric Sanchez, Joshua Levin, Cicada Jenerik, Sera Busse and Nick Bradley
Regional Champions in Speed: Eric Sanchez, Joshua Levin, Cicada Jenerik, Sam Stewart, and Gabii Strandberg.
And to our silver medalists: Jacquelyn Wu, Charlie Andrews, Ryan Riggins
And bronze medalists: Dylan Meyerhoffer, Michael Cohen, Will Roderick, Mel Roderick
And Rick Gentry, Andrew Dixon, Aidan Oneill, Mike Humphrey, Cameron Read and Marianna Florine in our Twenty Six Division 1 Championships bids.
The Division 1 Championships will be held in Portland, OR on June 12 and 13.
Big congratulations to Touchstone Zero Gravity Regional Champions in Sport: Eric Sanchez, Joshua Levin, Cicada Jenerik, Sera Busse and Nick Bradley
Regional Champions in Speed: Eric Sanchez, Joshua Levin, Cicada Jenerik, Sam Stewart, and Gabii Strandberg.
And to our silver medalists: Jacquelyn Wu, Charlie Andrews, Ryan Riggins
And bronze medalists: Dylan Meyerhoffer, Michael Cohen, Will Roderick, Mel Roderick
And Rick Gentry, Andrew Dixon, Aidan Oneill, Mike Humphrey, Cameron Read and Marianna Florine in our Twenty Six Division 1 Championships bids.
The Division 1 Championships will be held in Portland, OR on June 12 and 13.
Labels: Scot Jenerik, Youth Climbing, Zero Gravity
¶ Thursday, May 20, 2010 1 Comments
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Youth Climbing- Zero Gravity
For the fifth consecutive year, the Touchstone Zero Gravity Team were the Northern CA Regional champions at the USAC Northern CA ABS11 Regional Championships at City Beach, Fremont, CA on January 16, 2010. Facing 85 other competitors from ages 8-19, Eric Sanchez, Joshua Levin, Sera Busse and Nicholas Bradley managed to rise above the heavy competition to become regional champions.
A week later at the USAC SCS Adult National Championshipsin Salt Lake City, Team Zero Gravity had another outstanding performance. Eric Sanchez was the
More information about USA Climbing can be found at their website.
Next up are the ABS 11 National Championships in Alexandria, Virginia,
February 12-14, 2010.
For those between the ages of 11-18, who want to take their climbing to the next level, and improve their strength, technique, and mental focus, there will be an informational meeting Tuesday February 23 at 7:30 pm at Diablo Rock Gym. Scot Jenerik, coach of Zero Gravity and 5 IFSC World Youth Championships competitors, and North Face sponsored athlete and 5.14 rock climber, Scott Cory will be holding a meeting for another youth team in the bay area.
A week later at the USAC SCS Adult National Championshipsin Salt Lake City, Team Zero Gravity had another outstanding performance. Eric Sanchez was the
More information about USA Climbing can be found at their website.
Next up are the ABS 11 National Championships in Alexandria, Virginia,
February 12-14, 2010.
For those between the ages of 11-18, who want to take their climbing to the next level, and improve their strength, technique, and mental focus, there will be an informational meeting Tuesday February 23 at 7:30 pm at Diablo Rock Gym. Scot Jenerik, coach of Zero Gravity and 5 IFSC World Youth Championships competitors, and North Face sponsored athlete and 5.14 rock climber, Scott Cory will be holding a meeting for another youth team in the bay area.
Labels: Scot Jenerik, Youth World Championships, Zero Gravity
¶ Wednesday, February 03, 2010 0 Comments
